Friday, May 2, 2008

A Seamless Dominica and Economic Development

Let us now consider in what ways each of the selected advantages of a seamless Dominica may affect our economic development.

A seamless Dominica will have a population of about 150,000 citizens, twice its current official countThe mere doubling of the population increases the labour force and consequent pool of available, trained personnel immediately. Industries can spread their search for employees beyond the borders of Dominica. Also, the market for manufactured products from Dominica will be expanded if well organised.

Individuals, groups and associations overseas will position themselves to take advantage of opportunities to advance the development of DominicaDevelopment needs at home will encourage overseas Dominicans to offer their trained services to both private and public sectors, particularly where deficiencies occur.

In particular, expertise, which otherwise would be recruited from overseas non-nationals at a premium, may now be available from our own citizens abroad at less expense.

Dominica will have a ready-made pool of qualified people overseas to promote her in such fields as tourism, investment opportunity, etc. It has been suggested that every overseas Dominican be looked upon as an informal tourism ambassador to their country. This personal, word-of-mouth contact has sent many a tourist to our country. Its effectiveness should not be downplayed. If properly equipped with promotional information, there is no telling the impact it can have.

Overseas Dominicans in business have a first-hand view of legitimate entrepreneurs who desire to invest in the Nature Isle. They can function literally as storefronts for investment in Dominica. With knowledge of investment needs and legal requirements, they can initiate the investment process.

Qualified oveseas Dominicans can be appointed as Official ambassadors instead of foreign nationalsWho better than your own citizen would you trust to represent your country with genuine interest and dedication? Nation states, like Dominica, have been used unscrupulously by foreign nationals to advance their own agenda as Dominican ambassadors. This practice should be discontinued to avoid scandals, which bring disrepute to our good name.

There are provisions for the establishment of consular offices in heavily populated cities around the world. Qualified Dominicans could fill these positions with minimum difficlty.

The advantages discussed in this post are few and serve to demonstrate the impact overseas citizens can have on the economic development of our country. To be fair, we must acknowledge that some of these activities already exist or have been tried. Why this is not the norm, I suspect, is because formal policies are not in place to lay the foundation. Official recognition is necessary to establish this foundation.

1 comment:

This a brilliant analysis. You articulate well the notions floating in many of our heads. Kudos to you!

One facet I considered would be that basic $5/month contibution: $60 a year per adult. That really adds up! Many can give more. In what would amount to a poll tax (but in a good way), these contributors would then be eligible to vote electronically on a one-man-one-vote basis.

The current situation predisposes government to treat Diasporans as ugly stepchildren to be scorned for politcal gain. Meanwhile the government can continue to intimidate the local electorate who generally fear for their jobs.

In a seamless society, parties would cultivate Diasporans and would be more likely to utilize their talents and offers of assistance. This communication revolution, where Diasporans can interact live in the political process at home, offers hope that Dominica will henceforth give more than just lip-service to this noble ideal.